Osseus defects may be caused by trauma, pathological disease, surgical intervention, or other situations. Some defects may be minor and require minimal surgical intervention, such as filling the defect with a bone filler, or heal on their own with the support of a sling or splint. Some defects may be more severe, such as those located in critical load bearing regions of the bone. These defects may be of a large enough size to require internal support with a prosthetic device.
Prosthetic devices may be either non-resorbable or resorbable. Non-resorbable prosthetic devices may include biocompatible metals, ceramics, or composites. These devices may be designed to provide strength to the defect to withstand various compressive and other load forces. Some non-resorbable prosthetics may be designed with space to incorporate new bone ingrowth, but the nature of the non-resorbable materials prevents ingrowth because the materials are generally non-osteoinductive. Furthermore, the non-resorbable materials may be implanted to merely fill the defect site and do not wrap around the healthy tissues adjacent to the defect site where additional support may help expedite the healing process.
Resorbable structures actively induce the ingrowth of adjacent bone tissue through osteoinduction. Demineralized bone matrix is a resorbable material known to possess high osteoinductive potential. Although they encourage bone ingrowth, similar to the shortcomings of the non-resorbable materials, resorbable structures are generally placed into the defect site and not around the supporting healthy tissues. While it may be desirable to replace the resorbable structures with freshly generated tissues, resorption of the materials changes the shape of the implant, thereby altering its strength. As such, these implants may be preferred for use in non- or minimally load bearing areas of the body.
The non-resorbable or resorbable structure may be a porous structure incorporating a filling material. The filling materials may adhere to the porous structure with an adhesive such as a biological glue (fibrin or animal derived adhesive) or a chemical glue, such as cyanoacrylate. While the selection of adhesives may provide the desired retention of the filling material in the structure, it may be desirable to use an adhesive which further optimizes bone ingrowth.
Therefore, it may be desirable to provide an implant which provides structural integrity, induces bone ingrowth, and is advantageous for use throughout the body.